Americans are divorcing less than they did 20 years ago. Yet couples who separate are now spending more years married before calling it quits.
The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 2.3 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2024, down from 4.0 in 2000. Meanwhile, research published in 2026 found that the typical first marriage ending in divorce now lasts 13 to 14 years.
There are also surprising differences between states. Oklahoma recorded nearly twice the divorce rate of New Jersey when researchers compared married women. Other states have seen relatively little change in recent years.
The latest official statistics available in 2026 cover 2024. Although national figures take time to compile, they offer a clear picture of how marriage and divorce have changed across America.
How Many Americans Get Divorced Each Year?
The CDC recorded 662,950 divorces and annulments in 2024, compared with 672,502 in 2023.
However, the national total is incomplete. California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico were not included because they did not provide the necessary divorce records.
The CDC divorce statistics also show that the annual divorce rate has fallen considerably since the beginning of the century.
| Year | Divorces Reported | Rate per 1,000 Residents |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 944,000 | 4.0 |
| 2010 | 872,000 | 3.6 |
| 2015 | 800,909 | 3.1 |
| 2019 | 746,971 | 2.7 |
| 2020 | 630,505 | 2.3 |
| 2021 | 695,509 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | 673,989 | 2.4 |
| 2023 | 672,502 | 2.4 |
| 2024 | 662,950 | 2.3 |
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics. Reporting coverage varies by year.
Compared with 2000, the divorce rate has fallen by 42.5%. However, fewer divorces do not necessarily mean Americans are enjoying happier marriages. People are also marrying later, and a smaller share of young adults are married.
The Famous 50% Divorce Statistic Is Misleading
You’ve probably heard that half of all marriages end in divorce. The claim gets repeated in conversations, television shows and social media posts, but it isn’t an accurate measurement of current divorce rates.
The CDC figure of 2.3 divorces per 1,000 people includes children, single adults and people who have never married. It tells us how frequently divorces occur across the population, not the percentage of marriages that eventually fail.
Researchers at Bowling Green State University use a different calculation. They count women who divorced during the previous 12 months and compare that number with the population of married women.
According to the university’s 2024 divorce findings, 14.2 women per 1,000 married women divorced during the year.
That is equivalent to 1.42% of married women in one year, rather than a lifetime probability of divorce.
Researchers estimated that 986,810 women divorced in 2024 using Census survey data. The estimate is higher than the CDC count because it uses a different method and covers states missing from the CDC records.
Which States Have the Highest Divorce Rates?
Oklahoma had the highest divorce rate among married women in 2024, with 20.7 divorces per 1,000. Nevada followed at 19.9, and Mississippi recorded 19.2.
The differences become clearer when the highest and lowest rates appear side by side.
Highest and Lowest Divorce Rates by State
| State | Divorces per 1,000 Married Women |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 20.7 |
| Nevada | 19.9 |
| Mississippi | 19.2 |
| Wyoming | 18.7 |
| Alabama | 18.0 |
| United States | 14.2 |
| South Carolina | 11.7 |
| Idaho | 11.2 |
| New Jersey | 11.0 |
| Wisconsin | 10.8 |
| Maine | 10.0 |
Source: Bowling Green State University, National Center for Family and Marriage Research. Rates are based on the 2024 American Community Survey.
Oklahoma’s rate was more than double Maine’s. Across the country, Southern states were more likely to record higher rates among married women.
Yet state rankings require some care. A state with more young married couples may have different divorce patterns than one with a larger population of older married residents. The survey estimates also have margins of error.
How Different Are the Highest and Lowest Rates?
Americans Are Staying Married Longer Before Divorcing
A new study published in 2026 has brought an interesting change in American marriages into focus. People whose first marriages end in divorce are generally separating after more years together than they did in the past.
Researchers at Bowling Green State University used 2024 Census data to calculate how long first marriages lasted before ending in divorce.
The median was 13 years for men and 14 years for women. In 2008, both figures stood at 11 years.
The marriage duration study also found that the middle half of first marriages ending in divorce lasted between 7 and 24 years in 2024.
That means many divorces occur well after the first few years of marriage. Couples may have already purchased homes, raised children or built retirement savings together.
The figures do not describe all marriages. They cover first marriages that ended in divorce, excluding those that remained intact or ended following the death of a spouse.
Does Education Affect How Long Marriages Last?
The study found that marriage duration before divorce also differed by education.
Among women whose first marriages ended, those with some college education had a median marriage duration of 11 years. Women with a high school diploma or less had a median of 17 years.
For men, those with graduate or professional degrees had the longest median duration before divorce, at 15 years.
The results do not prove that education causes people to remain married longer. They describe differences among marriages that ended and do not account for every other influence on a relationship.
Are Older Americans Getting Divorced More Often?
Video: BBC organized an interview with a Susan Brown, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University, about the rising divorce rates among older generations.
Divorce after age 50 has become a regular subject of research because separating later in life can create financial difficulties that younger couples may not face.
A couple divorcing after 30 years together may need to divide retirement accounts, pensions and property accumulated over decades. Selling the family home can also mean finding two affordable places to live instead of one.
Researchers often refer to divorce among adults aged 50 and older as gray divorce.
Studies have found that divorce became considerably more common among older Americans over several decades, even as divorce declined among younger adults.
Recent research also shows that age and marital history influence the likelihood of divorce. People entering second or later marriages can have different experiences than those remaining in their first marriages.
The national divorce rate therefore cannot describe every age group equally well.
Why Are Fewer Americans Getting Divorced?
One explanation begins before the wedding. Americans are marrying later than previous generations.
Bowling Green State University reported that the median age at first marriage reached 30.8 years for men in 2025. For women, the recent high was 28.6 years in 2021.
Someone marrying at 30 may have spent more years working, living independently and building financial security than someone marrying at 21. Researchers have linked age at marriage with different divorce patterns, although later marriage alone cannot guarantee a lasting relationship.
Another change is the declining share of young adults who marry at all.
Couples who live together without marrying are not included in divorce statistics when they separate. A decline in marriage can therefore reduce the number of legal divorces without necessarily reducing the number of relationships that end.
Financial circumstances may also influence when couples marry and separate. Housing costs, employment and the expense of maintaining separate households can shape those decisions.
How Divorce Affects Families and Finances
Divorce statistics record legal separations, but they do not show the financial consequences for individual families.
Housing is one of the largest expenses that can change after a divorce. A household that previously shared one mortgage or rent payment may need to support two separate homes.
For couples raising children, the cost of childcare and changes in working arrangements can place additional pressure on household budgets.
Financial consequences also differ by age. Younger couples may have smaller retirement accounts but longer periods to rebuild savings. Older couples can face the challenge of dividing assets shortly before retirement.
Research on the rise in home values provides some context for couples dividing property. A home purchased many years earlier may now account for a large share of their combined wealth.
Will Divorce Rates Continue to Fall?
The long-term direction has been downward, but future divorce rates will depend partly on how Americans approach marriage.
More people marrying later could continue to change national figures. An aging married population and differences between first and later marriages could also influence the results.
However, the latest federal statistics cannot establish what the divorce rate will be in 2026 or 2027.
For now, two findings stand out. Americans are divorcing less frequently than they did in 2000, and people whose first marriages end in divorce are generally remaining married for longer before separating.
The difference between Oklahoma and Maine also shows why a single national number is insufficient for describing divorce across the United States.
Future Census surveys and CDC reports will reveal how those patterns change as younger generations reach the ages when Americans most commonly marry.
